Supreme Court on Monday, Oct 26, issued a notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) over a petition that challenges the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Maharashtra’s electoral rolls, claiming that roughly 33% of the state’s 9 crore voters have been struck off.
The petitioner, Arun Anandagiri, and his senior advocate Arvind Datar argued that the revision process has removed 3.3 crore names, with Pune and Mumbai alone missing 40% of registered voters, and that the required Form 6 does not accommodate voters who have cast ballots in multiple elections.
Chief Justice Surya Kant questioned whether any related matters were pending, and Datar urged the Court to prevent finalisation of the rolls before Nov 5, citing the lack of an imminent election and the need to restore deleted names.
The Court has set Nov 5 as the deadline for the ECI to file a written reply and will hear the case on that date, signalling an urgent review of the SIR’s constitutionality under Articles 14, 19(1)(a), 21, 324 and 326.
The ECI’s response will determine whether the current revision process can proceed as ordered on May 14 or be restructured to comply with constitutional safeguards, a decision that could reshape voter access for millions before the next general elections.